Newnham, Bedford
| Newnham | |
|---|---|
Bedfordshire and Luton | |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Newnham is an
.The boundaries of Newnham are approximately Goldington Road to the north, the River Great Ouse to the south and east, with Denmark Street and George Street to the west.
The Riverfield housing estate, and Bedford's Priory Country Park and Marina are within the boundaries of Newnham ward as well as a number of other key facilities for Bedford town. After boundary changes in 2011, the Newnham area also includes the western section of the Castle Road neighbourhood.
History
A Neolithic henge was erected on the site of the current Tesco Supermarket on Riverfield Drive dating between 4000 and 2000 BC.[3] Despite this there is very little evidence of any major settlement in Newnham in pre-historic times.
There was a Roman farmstead near the River Great Ouse that was excavated by archeologists in the 1970s before there was gravel extraction on the site that is now Priory Country Park.[4]
Much of the western section of the Castle Road neighbourhood was developed in the 19th century. The rest of Newnham remained as undeveloped farmland and a site for gravel extraction until the 20th century. By then the expansion of Bedford required more housing and land either side of Newnham Avenue was developed in the interwar period.[5] Bedford's old power station was built in the area in 1955 and was subsequently demolished in 1987.[6] The final stage of Newnham's development happened during the early 1990s. With the demolition of the old power station, the land was redeveloped into the Priory Marina and country park, as well as Aspects Leisure Park and the Riverfield housing estate.
In 2020 planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of Aspects Leisure Park to include housing, additional restaurants and retail space and a public park. The development will be renamed 'Newnham Park'.[7]
Governance
Newnham is an unparished area, with all community services under the direct control of Bedford Borough Council. Newnham elects two councillors to Bedford Borough Council.
Economy
There are a number of shops and services located on Newnham Avenue, including a post office, a supermarket, a pub called The White Horse, and a 24-hour BP Petrol Station and a Marks & Spencer 'Simply Food' store. There are a few more shops located on Wendover Drive, including a hairdressers, and a cafe. There are also some smaller independent shops and businesses located in the western section Castle Road neighbourhood.[8]
The Aspects Leisure Park is situated in Newnham. This entertainment complex (located on Newnham Avenue and Barkers Lane) houses Bedford's
.There are a number of businesses located on Riverfield Drive, including a large
called The Orchard.Education
Unusually there are no state schools or
Religious sites
- Priory Methodist Church, located on Newnham Avenue[12]
- Christ Church Bedford (Church of England), located on Denmark Street and Goldington Road[13]
- Three Rivers Church, also on Denmark Street[14]
Community facilities
The Bedford International Athletics Stadium is located in the Newnham area, on Barkers Lane.
The stadium was an official training site for the
Priory Country Park is located on Barkers Lane,[19] and is Newnham's main open space. There is also a provision of allotments further along Barkers Lane.
References
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Neighbourhood Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Bedford Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "Bedford Timeline: Modern - Digitised Resources - Bedfordshire's Virtual Library". Galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ http://www.bedfordrivervalleypark.org/heritage/roman-farm/
- ^ "A History of Priory Methodist Church". Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Brief History of Bedford". Bedford.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Massive redevelopment plan approved for Aspects Leisure Park in Bedford". 21 July 2020.
- ^ http://comearoundtobedford.moonfruit.com/ 'Featured Business'
- ^ "Cineworld Cinema, Bedford". Cineworld.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Newnham & Bedford Fitness First Gym". Fitnessfirst.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Priory Marina, Bedford". Bwml.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ http://www.priorychurch.org.uk/ Priory Methodist Church
- ^ http://www.ccbedford.org/ Christ Church Bedford
- ^ http://threeriversbedford.uk/ Three Rivers Church
- ^ http://www.athleticstadium.bedford.gov.uk/ Bedford International Athletics Stadium
- ^ Published on Monday 3 March 2008 18:25 (3 March 2008). "Bedfordshire to host Olympic training camps". Bedford Today. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Bedfordshire News | Latest Bedford News Headlines | Bedfordshire Sports, Jobs, Weather & Business News | Town eyes Olympic ring of confidence". Bedsonsunday.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "On Your Marks! Bedford Borough to host teams from around the world ahead of London 2012". Bedford.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ http://www.priorycountrypark.co.uk/ Priory Country Park, Bedford